Remember the saying, “It’s better to ask forgiveness than ask permission”? It’s in play all around us.

Consider 9/11: We were attacked by enemies we’d refused to admit existed. They hit us, the United States suffered massive losses of life and yet militant Islam won, despite anything we’ve done to retaliate.

Consider how our lives have changed because of 9/11.

We’re on constant alert, our travel procedures will never be the same, our physical privacy is legally invaded because of “possible terrorist threats,” our economy endured a still reverberating massive hit, and we’re involved in what appears to be a series of endless military involvements that randomly and continually kill Americans and our allies.

Further, there’s the insidious effect of political correctness about anything Muslim. For the sake of being politically correct and because of fear, we keep our mouths shut even in the face of injustice; we can’t say “terrorist” or “Islamist.”

If these aren’t indications of losing to an enemy, I don’t know what is.

The shock of this is that Americans are simultaneously losing another massive battle against an enemy that gradually appeared, spread throughout the country, changed our culture and constantly demands concessions from us.

In this case, the enemy has physically infiltrated our country so thoroughly that they pretend they’re here legally, deserving of all the privileges and rights of citizens and make demands that politicians and others in authority agree to freely.

In this case, the issue is illegal immigration, and the people in question are illegal aliens.

It’s a perfectly correct term: They are “aliens” with “illegal” status because they crossed the border by devious means and don’t correct their status.

There are eight senators working out a plan (in secret), and it seems their major concerns are unions and big business.

But, what about the rest of us who will foot the bill?

The PC police are out in force on this issue too, as media, organizations and government continue to change the terminology for these people. Are they immigrants? Are they undocumented? Are they migrants?

Their supporters keep repeating, “They’re just like the rest of us,” and insisting Americans give them what they want.

As a result, and because of politics, the pressure is on as almost never before to ignore reality and just give away all the rights of citizenship.

Just because.

Just because they didn’t ask permission to emigrate to this country.

Just because they crossed the border, moved throughout the country, live a life slightly below the legal radar and take advantage of the generosity of citizens enjoying work, food, housing, education, medical care, driving privileges and whatever else is given them.

Unfortunately, many have voted.

Unfortunately, many have burdened our courts, jails and prisons.

Millions of words and millions of dollars have been tossed around about this problem. The cost of the Border Patrol operations has grown, and yet the people wearing that uniform are hindered by work rules and regulations that often make their job useless.

My sources tell me agents are restricted to eight-hour shifts, and they are required to stop when the shift is over – even if they’re in the midst of dealing will illegals.

They tell me illegals often run to agents to be taken into custody because they anticipate amnesty.

The agents are often required not to have ammunition in their weapons, and now there are reports their actual ammo needs are being cut.

There are thousands of acres of federal land where agents are not permitted to operate, leaving a wide-open door to human and drug smuggling.

And now, there’s a concerted effort to find a way to “make them legal.”

It goes under the guise of “our immigration system is broken and need fixing.”

Perhaps, but there’s a major difference between issuing legal visas and green cards to those needed in certain industries and changing the concept of citizenship to give away that precious status to people who deliberately and knowingly broke the law to sneak into this country, stay here illegally and hide from authorities.

There’s no question legal immigration needs reform. For applicants, it’s too often a protracted and expensive procedure. These people want to follow the rules, and yet we make it almost impossible.

But every day, thousands of illegals cross our border, and we virtually ignore them and actually work to legalize them.

The message to legal applicants is clear: You’re a sucker! Just sneak in, and we’ll reward you!

What a disgusting and sick policy, and yet we have politicians from the president on down spending valuable time trying to devise a plan to give our country away to people who don’t deserve it and don’t want it.

Most of those people are loyal to their home country and culture; what they want from us is work to get money to send home. They don’t know our language, our culture, our history or our obligations as citizens. Many can’t even read in their own language.

Any sane person would ask why a country would allow millions of such people into their country and give them equality with qualified citizens especially because the citizens will have to foot the bill to try to get them up to minimal speed as to their education and skills.

Never forget: Not all illegals are Mexican.

In fact, the Border Patrol term is “OTM,” meaning “other than Mexicans.”

There are millions from Eastern Europe, China, the Middle East, Southeast Asia and just about anywhere there are people who want part of the American good life.

They may have “illegal status,” but they’re not stupid.

And don’t believe that 11 million figure politicians tout.

They’ve said that for more than 10 years. With millions crossing every year, why doesn’t that figure increase? How would we know who those people are? Who’s keeping count?

No one.

It’s all a farce, and the joke is on us and our children. We’ll all lose.